A significant gas explosion at the Mobil Filling Station near the Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos State, resulted in multiple injuries and extensive damage on Thursday. The incident, which occurred around 10:49 a.m., ignited a fire that engulfed numerous vehicles and caused widespread panic among local residents and business owners.

According to reports, the explosion happened while a gas truck was refilling an above-ground storage tank. Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with flames rapidly spreading and causing severe damage. Despite the severity of the fire, no fatalities have been reported. However, nine individuals sustained various injuries.

An anonymous attendant at the filling station described the harrowing moments following the explosion. “I was attending to a customer when I heard a loud bang from the gas point. Before I could react, the vehicles parked near the gas truck were already on fire,” he recounted. He and others quickly fled the scene to avoid further harm.

Tunde, an eyewitness, detailed the rapid progression of the fire. “The fire spread so quickly that people couldn’t even move their vehicles. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze was too intense to control immediately. It could have been disastrous if the station had been busier due to fuel shortages,” he said.

Adamu, a local fruit vendor, provided further insight into the incident. He observed that the fire began during the discharge of gas from a tanker into a storage tank. “The explosion was quite severe. I saw several people being transported to the hospital in yellow buses,” he reported.

Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed Adamu’s account. He explained that the fire resulted from damage to the pipe of an eight-ton LPG gas cylinder while it was being refilled. “The damage caused a rapid gas leak, which ignited and led to the explosion. We are continuing our investigation to determine the precise cause of the incident,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.

The explosion resulted in severe burns for two adult males and minor injuries for approximately seven others. Around ten vehicles, including both commercial and private, were damaged, along with parts of a nearby two-storey building.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, in collaboration with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, contained the fire and prevented it from spreading further. The injured were initially treated on-site and then transferred to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for additional care.

Oke-Osanyintolu also mentioned that two LPG cylinders—one weighing approximately 12 tons and the other eight tons—had been secured to mitigate the risk of further explosions.

In a statement on X.com, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service reported that the fire consumed eight vehicles, including the gas tanker, and damaged parts of a nearby building. The exact number of victims remains unverified, but the injured were taken to LASUTH for treatment.

This incident follows a similar explosion in late April in the Ajegunle-Apapa area of Lagos, which injured nine people, including a pregnant woman. That explosion was attributed to a gas leak that ignited a high-tension cable, causing a fire in a region known for gas cylinder trading activities.